5 Lingering Effects Of Emotional Abuse (And How To Heal Them)

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Up, down, high, low, good, bad, black, white, push, pull. Emotional abuse takes a heavy toll on our hearts and minds, planting lies in our psyche that, left untended, can last long after the roller coaster is over. It's hard to dig deep and identify these wounds, especially when we may not even be aware that we're still wounded. But months or years later, our ongoing behavior and character transformations can help to shed some light on what really needs our attention.

With most forms of emotional abuse, the victim is left feeling powerless, worthless, and broken inside. These wounds don't leave visible scars, although they're just as painful as any physical injury. We pick up the pieces and put our lives back together as best we can. And sometimes, the best we can do is patchwork. We go back to our daily existence thinking everything is fine — but something still seems different. Many survivors describe two different selves: "before abuse" and "after abuse."

The simple truth that you are a real, suffering human being can break open even the tightest heart and bring you to a place of self-compassion that you've never felt before.

The truth lives in our body and behaviors, and the truth will keep manifesting in increasingly strange ways until we find our way home. Here are five signs that suggest you might still be suffering from the lingering effects of emotional abuse:

1. Numbness

You isolate yourself, becoming more an observer of the world than a participant. Everything feels blocked. You don't feel bad — but you don't feel good either. You don't feel much of anything at all. Even when you know you should be happy, it's like there's a tight guard around your heart at all times, preventing anything from going in or out.

This can feel hopeless — like you're permanently damaged and unable to feel emotions normally. However, it's actually the first step toward approaching your trauma with a gentle and caring perspective. Allow the numbness to be there, and understand that it wouldn't be there unless it was protecting you from some pretty overwhelming stuff. Your body is trying to help you! Focus on that noble effort, and you will slowly begin to develop the sense of love needed to hold this pain.

2. Seeking approval

This one can be really sneaky because it manifests in ways that are socially acceptable: people-pleasing, excessive accomplishing, being "nice" to everyone, and hyper-focusing on your appearance. The underlying current of approval-seeking behavior is that you are somehow "not enough" without it. This was a lie put into your heart, and it needs to be banished forever. Our worth as human beings is not dependent on any of those things.

If you slow down and pause these behaviors, you're likely to feel a great deal of shame, inadequacy, and even jealousy. Your first instinct may be to run back to your vices, but I encourage you to sit with these feelings (and seek out professional counseling, if needed) until you really understand how much you are truly suffering. Only then can we begin to regard ourselves with compassion and discover that healthy love does not need to be earned.

3. Resentment

This can build up over time, and it's not about throwing objects or screaming. Far more common signs include irritability, blame, blood pressure changes, heart tightness, frustration, and impatience. Resentment's key word is "should." (This bad thing shouldn't have happened. People should have behaved a different way.) Essentially, we are living in a constant state of resistance to reality.

Most psychological or spiritual paths will outline the reasons resentment is toxic, but releasing it is not quite so simple. We need to be kind to ourselves and not feel any sort of shame for carrying this resentment. All we need is the simple intention to release it, and it will begin to happen. I personally have found forgiveness (and self-forgiveness) to be very effective, but there are many other paths. Once we stop focusing on the "bad other," we finally have time to tend to the wounds in our heart.

4. Judging and analyzing

This is a personality shift that happens slowly. You hear nice words coming out of your mouth, but your thoughts are somewhere else entirely. You find yourself obsessively analyzing everything others do, to the point that it becomes difficult to trust anyone. You hyper-focus on behaviors, holding others (and yourself) to very high standards.

Once again, the key here is self-compassion. You need to be kind to yourself and understand that these are all protective mechanisms — a fear of not being in control. Judging ourselves for being judgmental is an infinite loop that can only be broken by love. You did not ask for this. You did the best you could with an impossible situation, and the more you can rest in this truth, the softer your heart will become.

5. Anxiety and depression

Insomnia, appetite changes, constant fear, a sense of doom, and hopelessness: self-destruct mode. This is your body saying "no more." Your patchwork — the above four solutions — aren't working anymore, and your body is going to torture your mind until you surrender to the only permanent solution: love.

You should seek professional therapy for anxiety and depression, but I would highly recommend that all emotional abuse survivors approach therapy from the perspective of love rather than constant analysis of your undesirable behaviors. Instead of searching your memories, try feeling your feelings. The simple truth that you are a real, suffering human being can break open even the tightest heart and bring you to a place of self-compassion that you've never felt before — perhaps a new reality where you are as kind to yourself as you've always been to others.

After emotional abuse, there are so many lies obstructing the heart: not enough, inadequate, worthless, bad, broken, replaceable, unlovable, my fault. The good news is you can heal this stuff. The bad news is there's no quick fix — just a lot of patience, hard work, and dedication. It may take months or years of practice, but finding love for yourself is a permanent solution. In this journey, we leave behind the splitting of "old cheerful self" and "new abused self" in favor of a whole self who is loved and accepted completely.